


Growing Pains

by spreadyourwingsandfly



Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: F/M, Family Bonding, Foreshadowing, Insecurity, Parent T'Challa (Marvel), Plans For The Future, Protective T'Challa (Marvel), Reader-Insert, Sweet T'Challa (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 04:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15307578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spreadyourwingsandfly/pseuds/spreadyourwingsandfly
Summary: It has been well established that, on her 21st birthday, Adanya will duel her dad, T'Challa , King of Wakanda, to take on the mantle of Queen of Wakanda and be the Black Panther. She’s head the stories since she was little. How, on challenge day, the entire nation of Wakanda would gather and that anyone who was of royal blood or of another tribe who wanted to duel and battle the king to become the next ruler of Wakanda could. She knows all about the heart-shaped herb, the changes that had to be made after an incident that her baba would never talk about, the way Auntie Shuri made a big deal about how uncomfortable her corset was, She knows that M’Baku challenged her dad.Truth be told, she has learned a large quantity of Wakanda history from her dad, grandmother, school and Shuri.She’s been preparing for that day her whole life.Fortunately, that day is still exactly five years away from one month ago today.Unfortunately for her, many people- mostly the elders- are acting as if it is today.





	Growing Pains

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING- Feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, family secrets, mentions of nightmares, bad dreams, and divorce Black Panther spoilers.

Prequel to my next story-   
It has been well established that, on her 21st birthday, Adanya will duel her dad, T'Challa , King of Wakanda, to take on the mantle of Queen of Wakanda and be the Black Panther. She’s head the stories since she was little. How, on challenge day, the entire nation of Wakanda would gather and that anyone who was of royal blood or of another tribe who wanted to duel and battle the king to become the next ruler of Wakanda could. She knows all about the heart-shaped herb, the changes that had to be made after an incident that her baba would never talk about, the way Auntie Shuri made a big deal about how uncomfortable her corset was, She knows that M’Baku challenged her dad.   
Truth be told, she has learned a large quantity of Wakanda history from her dad, grandmother, school and Shuri.   
She’s been preparing for that day her whole life.  
Fortunately, that day is still exactly five years away from one month ago today.  
Unfortunately for her, many people- mostly the elders- are acting as if it is today.  
‘’I do not know what they want from me,’’ she stares out over the cliff, dressed in an off the shoulder, white and floral, high low dress. It contrasts from her skin perfectly, and the sunlight is shining on her skin, making it glow.  
That does not go unnoticed by her best friend, Jelani, son of M’Baku, leader of the Jabari tribe.  
The two have been friends for two years now. When all of the crap hit the fan with Nisa and Nyala, Adanya closed herself off. She was always a more reserved student, always choosing to read instead of playing during recess or free-time.  
She has very few friends, but she likes it that way. The few friends that she has, she knows that they like her for who she is. They are not interested in money, fame, or learning about the never ending trail of scandals and secrets that seem to follow the Udaku family every waking moment.  
One, she has Jelani. He is one of the kindest people that she has ever spoken to. He may have a more traditional way to things, as his dad, but he is modern in many ways. He has so many ideas for the future, many of which he’s only shared with her.  
Auntie Shuri is the best. She listens to Adanya when she can not go to her mother or baba. Shuri is the one who gave her the talk, who comforted her during the fiasco that was that situation with Nisa and Nyala, when she was bullied, and when she had her first crush.   
And finally, her baba. T’Challa is a busy man,with many things to do. He has a country to run and to protect, which is why she hadn’t seen him for five days prior to yesterday. He also has his wife, Adanya’s mother, the current Queen of Wakanda. Then, he has five children: Adanya, Ado, Abioye, Abimbola, and Nyala. And, if she is not mistaken due to her mother’s frequent bouts of sickness.. she may have another sibling within the next nine months.  
‘’I think that they want you to be queen,’’ Jelani jests in an effort to make her smile.   
From the way that she cuts her eye at him, it doesn’t have nearly that effect.  
‘’I am sixteen. I do not even have to engage my daddy in ritual combat until my 21st birthday. I have been taking lessons for about a year or two now. I have been training even longer. I am getting good grade, staying on top of things, and even helping my mother with volunteer and outreach programs. Why, then, is this not enough,’’ she looks to Jelani then, who shrugs his shoulders that Adanya totally wasn’t thinking about.  
‘’It will be hard. Your dad has had it hard, but he handled it well. I know that they are putting a lot of pressure on you to make sure that we do not have any repeats of… this,’’ he explains, ‘’It took a while to rebuild the reputation of Wakanda, and they are still struggling to keep it fixed. That is my guess.’’  
She sighs then, feeling the weight of the world and of a family mess over thirty years in the making on her sixteen year old shoulders.  
‘’True, true,’’ she rises then, careful not to let her skirt flow in the room, ‘’Come on. We’d better be getting back to ceremony.’’   
Jelani nods, falling her back to the palace banquet hall.  
The party for Shuri’s new tech school opening is in full swing, and Adanya wishes that she were back in her room, braids pulled into a ponytail, headphones on as she reads.  
‘’I should go tell my dad that I am back. If you need anything, you know where to find me,’’ Jelani strides away on his long legs, and Adanya is left alone.  
She is the future queen of Wakanda, so of course everyone knows her face. It’s very hard to blend into the walls when this is true, so she smiles and shakes hands, makes small talk and laughs at jokes that aren’t nearly as funny as the stories that Ado tells.  
‘’I thought I might find you near the refreshment table,’’ T’Challa tells his daughter, ‘’Would you like to take a walk?’’  
She nods then, grateful to get a change to take a moment for herself and just breathe.  
Or, you know. To spar with her dad. Which she is currently doing now,  
This is their dad-daughter bonding time. He has been training her and she has been improving. He does not go easy on her, but he is careful to never hurt her  
Until today, which is the one day that she happens to not be paying attention.  
‘’Bast, Adanya!?,’’ he kneels beside her, placing a bandage next to her, checking her for any injuries, ‘’I have told you. You always need to keep your mind on what you are doing! You never know when or how your enemy may strike.’’  
‘’You fight well for an old man,’’ she wheezes out, stifling a laugh when her dad glares at her.  
‘’I am not an old man Your mother and I are the same age.’’  
‘’She looks amazing,’’ Adanya says, remedying the situation, ‘’As do you.’’  
‘’Thank you, daughter Now, come on,’’ he holds out a hand for her, ‘’Tell me what is wrong, princess.’’  
She hesitates, chewing on her lip and pushing her braids off of her shoulder.  
‘’Everyone is putting a lot of pressure on me to be a certain way as the queen. I am not even queen yet! Yet, everyone seems to have an opinion. ‘Don’t to this’. ‘Make sure to do that’. It is a lot to take in.’’  
T'Challa signs, bringing his daughter in and pressing a loving and swift press to her forehead, ‘’You Have been through much in these past few years. With your mother and I getting divorce when you were younger and all of the trials that came with realizing that Nyala is my daughter, you also had to deal with training to become the next ruler of Wakanda. I don’t think we ever asked you how you feel about that.’’  
Adanya loves Wakanda. It is her home. She loves the diversity, the culture, the people, the smells, the sight, the food. She loves everything about it. Which is why she wants the best for the country that she cares for more than anything.  
‘’You are young still, Adanya. You do not have to worry about this yet. The elders will see that you are more than capable of making your own choices. You will not make my mistakes. What do I tell you every day?  
‘’That I am strong,’’ she begins ,’’I am smart. I am brave. I am beautiful. This will intimidate some, but not the right people.’’  
‘’And always remember that you have a good heart. You are a wonderful young woman, with a good heart’’ T'Challa tells shi daughter, eyes shining bright with the pride that he never tries to hide from her, ‘’That may make things difficult for you at some points.’’  
‘’Thank you, baba,’’ Adanya responds, smiling when her dad presses a kiss to the top of her head.  
‘’We should be getting back to the dinner. Go on, get changed,’’ he tells her, taking her sphere from her , ‘’Do not tell your mother about this.’’  
She laughs, running as fast as he can with her Dora Milaje armor on and going to change into her dress.  
Her dad is right. She has years before he must worry about it, about wanting to be queen. Her baba has told her many times that, when she is 21, that is when he will challenge her. That day is still almost five years away. She has plenty of time to learn, to grow, to become the queen that Wakanda deserves.  
That is what T’Challa tells you as you prepare for bed, washing your face as your husband does the same from his sink directly next to yours.  
‘’That’s my girl,’’ you sigh, thinking of the tiny, wiggling baby you’d brought home over sixteen years ago and how she’s grown into a confident yet quiet young woman.  
‘’She will make an amazing queen. She does not have the baggage and the secrets that came along with me becoming king. She will be just fine,’’ T’Challa pulls you into his arms then, ‘’I love you. Thank you so much for the lovely children that you have given me.’’  
‘’I love you, T’Challa,’’ you coo, turning in his arms so that you are face-to-face with him, ‘’We are very fortunate people.’’  
‘’We are the presses a searing kiss to your lips, passion there with just a breath touch, ‘’We had to go through many things to get here, but here we are.’’  
T’Challa hopes the best for you and your children, the four that you gave birth to, the one that he’s still adamant is growing inside of you because you’ve been sick so much lately (despite your claims that, no, it’s just the stomach bug that Nyala recently had), and the one that you took in to raise as your own. There were many scandals and trials and hardship to break through to get to this point, but you’ve never felt more at peace.  
That’s what Adanya reflects on as she lies in bed, looking at the moon and listening to her music.  
She’s at peace. Her world as returned to its normal pace of spinning, if only for today. For the first time in a long time, she drifts off to sleep without worrying about being queen or what will happen tomorrow or the next day. For the first time in a long time, she’s content with not being aware of what will come next. So she falls asleep, the moonlight bathing her dark features in blue.  
The entire Udaku family is asleep , peacefulness and quietness gripping the house and cradling it against it’s chest in the protection of the night.  
But even dreams can turn into nightmares, weaving into something horrific.   
And that incident that the Adanya’s family never talks about will rear its ugly head.   
And the enemy will soon strike in their most calculated plot ever.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Marvel characters mentioned, just the children and this plot. I do not own the fictional country of Wakanda, I’d just really wanna visit if it was


End file.
